Jasper is at a crossroads. Like its residents, legislators in Ottawa must come together today to expedite Jasper’s rebuild “Will there just be crumbs, dad?” We were driving back to Jasper—for the first time since the fire. We were passing through the community’s west gate, trying to prepare the kids...

Jasper’s mayor is pushing back on prevailing narratives that suggest the municipality’s transit system has been rushed, town capital costs are out of control and Jasper’s financial capacity is at its breaking point. As he does every spring, on May 8, Mayor Richard Ireland took the stage at the Jaspe...

Changes will send chills through municipal councils and create a lot of grief for MLAs  It has been very interesting to watch over the past week how Premier  Danielle Smith ’s United Conservative Party government has unrolled its suite of changes to municipal governance and local election laws, and ...

Alberta Health Services and the Hinton Healthcare Centre are letting the public know of temporary acute bed shortages in the facility. Six of 23 acute care inpatient beds have been closed since March 15, according to the AHS website. The bed closures, which are anticipated to last until April 3, are...

Province wants to double tourism revenue by 2035; visiting officials recognize tourism-community challenges Premier Danielle Smith was in Jasper this week to announce a new provincial tourism strategy and on St. Valentine’s Day had adoring words for Jasper’s welcoming nature. “Jasper and Banff are t...

More than two dozen students walked out of school on Wednesday, February 7 in protest of the Alberta government’s proposed new policies around trans youth. The demonstration also included parents and allies of the LGBTQ2+ community. The group gathered to show solidarity with trans youth in Alberta a...

Marmot Basin staff are organizing to change their relationship with their employer, but a technical issue with their union membership petition has stalled their unionization efforts. An application to the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) was was filed on behalf of Marmot Basin employees this pa...

A new Otipemisiwak Metis Government has been formed and Kaila Mitchell is the newly elected representative for the Jasper House Métis District. “This is a monumental moment not only for our area but for all Métis people in Alberta,” Mitchell said. “We are embarking on a new chapter in our history, a...

If you didn’t have on your BINGO card that community leader, social media influencer and LGBTQ2+ icon, MLA Janis Irwin, would be chatting up Alberta voters at a drag show at a seniors centre, do you even Pride? Edmonton MLA Janis Irwin was in Jasper recently ahead of the writ being dropped in the 20...

Jasper’s Fred Kreiner will be the NDP candidate for West Yellowhead in Alberta’s next provincial election.  Kreiner won the nomination on December 8 after collecting more votes than Brule’s Lavone Olson in a local constituency election.  Kreiner is a former principal and French immersion teacher who...

Jasper’s top official got a warm welcome in the gallery of Canada’s Upper House last month.  Mayor Richard Ireland was part of a Rocky Mountain delegation in Ottawa on November 22 when he was introduced in the Canadian Senate as a longterm colleague and dear friend of former Banff mayor, now-Canadia...

Two nominees are vying to be the NDP’s candidate in West Yellowhead in the upcoming provincial election. Lavone Olson and Fred Kreiner have been nominated for candidacy to represent the NDP in West Yellowhead. A membership vote to determine the candidate will take place December 7 and 8. Fred Kreine...

Kevin Van Tighem throwing his hat into the political arena Kevin Van Tighem says he can no longer justify wasting his experience, skills and knowledge when Alberta is facing such critical times. The author, conservationist and former superintendent of Banff National Park is running for the provincia...

If you want workers to come to Alberta, pay them fairly and stop trying to undercut their wages, says Rachel Notley. The Leader of the Official Opposition was in Jasper September 19 as a guest speaker of the Building Trades of Alberta conference , held this year at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. No...

Banff being incorporated into Yellowhead makes sense, Richard Ireland suggests Banff could be part of the same electoral district as Jasper come 2024 and Jasper’s mayor, for one, is all for it. Richard Ireland has been at the head of Jasper’s civic government since 1990. If Banff is incorporated int...

Official Opposition Leader Rachel Notley talked to The Jasper Local to discuss running, the Rockies and the road ahead for the NDP   Rachel Notley was in Jasper on June 4 for the Banff-Jasper Relay . The Jasper Local snapped a photo of the leader of Alberta’s Official Opposition as she ran her 19 km...

Members of Jasper municipal council, administration and operations staff unveiled the town’s new logo on Wednesday, April 27. The Municipality of Jasper unveiled its new logo on April 27. Helping launch the new brand were (l-r) Director of Operations John Greathead, Councillor Scott Wilson, Mayor Ri...

Jasperites have been extending their hands and hearts to Ukrainians . Now, in the wake of the Russian army’s invasion and the displacement of more than 3 million Ukrainian citizens, they are extending their homes. As of March 22, 14 Ukrainian refugees—with more in the works—have been offered places ...

Right now, the face of progress in Jasper is a proposed high-density apartment complex that will push parking issues to the brink and house 144 prospective tenants in units so small that developers need special permission to build them. The Municipality of Jasper has hired contractors to tie in util...

A blockade protesting the planned harvest of 3,500 hectares of old growth caribou habitat has been erected 75 kms south of Grande Cache near the Berland River. Last week, land defenders erected a rudimentary barrier to stop West Fraser Forest Product workers from accessing the Moon Creek forestry ro...